The Feeling of Being Marginalized at Work: Either a Product of Bullying or a Certain Work Culture

by Nov 3, 2015

At times, employees may experience the feeling of being marginalized for reasons of performance. This feeling takes place when one sees that everyone is working together, and that the group may seem to be productive and is functioning well without himself. Or sometimes, one finds himself assigned tasks far below his skill and experience levels, and notice that his contributions are being simplified. This may point out a lack of civility training programs, or could simply a personal issue.

With these situations, some employees wonder whether they are being bullied or simply are incompetent enough to be secluded out. At times, one may just need an assertiveness training. Such concern may be remedied by addressing one’s concerns to a superior or to a sympathetic colleague. One should be able to point out his problem about his performance and ask for concrete suggestions for improvement.

However, if one receives vague, unrelated answers; then maybe he is either being bullied or trapped in a culture of expectations defined by subjective traits and soft skills. The first speculation is with malice, but the second one clearly points out that managers in such organization are simply incapable of critiquing what they cannot quantify. This just shows that they lack civility at work.

In addition, if such feeling of being dysfunctional as opposed to a group persists in different settings other than the workplace, then one may be needing a help of a counselor for assistance. One may be having problems which need a negative behaviors consultant.

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Catherine

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the founder/CEO of Civility Partners, an organizational development firm focused on helping organizations create respectful workplace cultures and specializing in turning around toxic cultures. Civility Partners’ clients range from Fortune 500’s to small businesses across many industries. Catherine is a TEDx speaker and an HR thought-leader who has appeared in such venues as USA Today, Bloomberg, CNN, NPR, and many other national news outlets as an expert. She’s an award-winning speaker, author and blogger, and has 50+ courses reaching global audiences on LinkedIn Learning. Catherine’s award-winning book, BACK OFF! Your Kick-Ass Guide to Ending Bullying at Work, was hailed by international leadership-guru, Ken Blanchard, as, “the most comprehensive and valuable handbook on the topic.” Her latest book is Navigating Toxic Work Environments For Dummies (Wiley),

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